Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
2043926
-1- PC-3186
ADHESIVE SECONDARY BLASI~NG CONE
TECHNICAL FIELD
The instant invention relates to blasting techniques in general and,
more particularly, to an explosive charge configuration especially adapted to break
5 up large rocks, pieces of ore, aggregated m~t~ri~lc, and the like into smaller pieces
for subsequent h~n-lling.
BACKGROUND ART
After the completion of a primary blasting program within an
underground excavation, there remain large boulders, rocks and pieces of ore. These
0 m~t~ri~lc may be found individually scattered on the floor; clumped together; or
hung up in boxholes, chutes and ore passes. The size of these blast products must be
sllffl~i~ntly reduced before they can be subsequently h~n~lI~rl
20~3926
- -2- PC-3 186
Accordingly, secondary blasting is undertaken to break up the residual
oversize boulders. There are generally three methods used in secondary blasting:
1) Blockholing - one or more holes are drilled into a boulder and
filled with an explosive. The explosive is detonated thereby fracturing the rock. This
5 method, although economical in the use of explosives, involves considerable expense
in ~lepaldlion and labor. It often causes subsequent damage due to flyrock ruining
surrounding air and water lines, v~nt~l~ion tubing, support screens, etc. Additional
dangers may be exp~n~nced by drilling into missed holes or caused by moving muck.
It is also quite dangerous to drill upwardly into a h~nging boulder inasmuch as the
10 roof or sidewalls may be unstable.
2) Sandblasting - placing an explosive charge on a boulder under
a blanket of sand (the process may be also carried out without sand). This usually
requires a larger quantity of explosives than blockholing with the ~tt~n~l~nt increased
damages to the surrounding area. Reblasting is frequently required because the
15 charge is inPffiri~ntly shaped and improperly placed. Time is further wasted since
the charge must be made up at the site.
3) Concussion, boxhole, chute or~ pass blasting - these require
access to notoriously unstable rock formations located in the chutes, boxholes and
ore passes present in underground excavations. It is unsafe to work under hung up
20 chutes and passes so the usual procedure is to hang a primed charge at the end of a
pole and insert the charge and pole into the chute or pass. This is in~ff~riPnt since
the h~nging charge may have little or no contact with the trapped rock.
The latter two methods transfer high energy to the stope walls causing
potential rock falls and loose ground conditions. As with sandblasting, concussion
25 blasting may also damage mine services -- water, air and electrical lines, ventilation
tubing, etc.
20~392~
Concussion and sandblasting attempt to break rock by
uslng the explosive as a "giant hammer" to explode against or
adiacent to the rock and fracture lt.
An example of a secondary blasting charge is
disclosed in U.S. patent Z,247,169. A flexible capsule havinq
a flange is filled with an explosive. A circumferential
rabbet holds the explosive in place. An adhesive is placed on
the flange and the entire unlt is placed agalnst the rock wlth
the flange adhesive holding the unlt to the rock.
Unfortunately, due an air gap formed between the
exploslve and the rock, a decided loss of shock energy may be
experlenced thereby reduclng the effectlveness of the charge
ln spite of the attached flange.
Essentially, there ls a need for a secondary
exploslve that ls relatlvely fast to set up, less labor
lntenslve and costly than current technlques, less wasteful of
exploslve energies normally disslpated and posslbly directed
agalnst mlne servlces, and perhaps most importantly safe to
use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
There ls provided a blasting charge comprising a
generally conlcal houslng havlng an open end, the houslng
adapted to be affixed to an obiect to be blasted, a viscous
adheslve exploslve dlsposed within the housing and partially
extending out of the open end so as to contact the ob~ect to
be blasted, and means for detonating the explosive.
This configuration is especially useful as a
secondary charge for fragmentary boulders and the like as it
~J 61790-1725
2043926
minimizes energy loss by directing the bulk of the explosive
forces directly against the rock.
~RIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Flgure 1 is a cross sectional view of an embodiment
of the invention.
Figure 2 is a view taken along line 2-2 of Figure 1.
Flgure 3 is a slde vlew of a feature of the
lnventlon.
Flgure 4 ls an embodlment of the lnventlon dlsposed
on a boulder.
Figure 5 is an embodiment of the lnvention disposed
ln a chute.
61790-1725
C
2043926
-~ PC-3186
PREFERRED EMBOD~MENT OF THE INVENT~ON
Referring to Figures 1 and 2, there is shown a secondary blasting
charge 10.
The charge 10 includes a cone 12 and a tube 14 ~xt~nding from the
S apex 16 of the cone 12. A hole 18 for a detonating cord may be formed in the cone
12 near the apex 16. As shown in Figure 3, removable cover 20, having a convex
exterior surface to spe. if i- ~lly permit ovPrfilling of the explosive into the cone 12,
may be placed over the open end 22 of the cone 12 to fa~ilit~te transport to the job
site.
Figure 4 depicts the charge 10 on a boulder 24. A warning flag 26
may be disposed in the tube 14. A detonating cord 28 extends from the hole 18.
The cone 12 is over packed with any suitable explosive ~ Lu~e 30
augm~nted with additives to impart m~ hility and t~kin.ocs to the compound.
Explosive emulsions formulated with microballoons, guars or polyacryl~mid~c are
15 useful. It is important to pack enough viscous explosive 30 into the cone so that a
portion oozes out, ice cream cone fashion, about the end 22. Indeed, the cover 20
accommodates the overflow of explosive 30 so when the cover 20 is removed, the
explosive 30 extends beyond the confines of the cone 12.
Although the surface imperfections of the boulder 24 are shown to
20 be somewhat exaggerated, an object of the invention is for the protruding explosive
30, upon the removal of the cover 20, to be squeezed against and into the interstices
of the irregular rock surface. The explosive 30 fills the voids and adheres to the rock
thereby achieving m~i~llulll coupling. There is no air or intervening membrane of
any kind between the explosive 30 and the rock 24.
This in~im~t~ gluing or coupling is further accicted by the height of the
cone 12 and the location of the detonating point in the apex 16 which should be
2043926
-- -5- PC-3186
sel~cted to ensure that the explosive 30 is accelerated to full velocity at the point of
impact with the boulder 24.
As a result of extensive testing, it is ~ f~led to utilize a molded plastic
cone 12 having a wall thi~kn~ss of about 1.6 mm (0.063 inches). The cone 12 may
be about 14.6 cm (5.75 inches) tall and the tube 14 may be about 8.3 cm (3.25
inches) long. The open end 22 outside diam~t~r may be about 16.8 cm (6.62 inches)
and the tube 14 outside diam~t~r may be about 3.8 cm (1.5 inches). Approximately1.7 kilograms (3.8 pounds) of high velocity cap sensitive explosive is forced into the
cone 12.
A preferred explosive emulsion 30 having the requisite viscous, tacky
characteristics is a llFix.Lule of fuel oil and trapped particles of ammonium nitrate. By
adjusting the quality of the above-referenced additives, the density and sensitivity of
the explosive may be modulated to effect the characteristics of the charge. A
commercially available suitable explosive emulsion is mark~ted by Imperial Chemical
Industries, Toronto, Canada under the trademark Magnafrac 1000.
The conical design of the charge 10 is such that the great bulk of the
kinetic energy generated by the explosive is directed against the boulder. Only a
of energy escapes in any unwanted direction. This simple ~ iPnt design,
which does not require internAl baffling and does not affirmatively create the Munroe
effect, allows the use of one seconda~y charge 10 instead of several standard charges.
Flyrock, air concussion, and the resulting damage to the environment is reduced. By
the same token, a series of charges 10 may be fired simultaneously or in timed
sequence to fragment particularly troublesome boulders.
The explosive shock energy initiate(l out of the apex 16 develops at the
point of detonation and moves forward at a high rate of speed, generally referred to
as the Velocity of Detonation ("VOD"). This shock energy is reflected from any free
face and is adversely affected by any change in medium (rock to air: explosives to
package to air to rock). Because the instant invention uti~izes a coupled charge, the
shock energy moves freely from the explosive into the rock and through the rock
- 2043926
- -6- PC-3 186
until hlt~llu~ted by a free or open face. This shock wave front moves forward in the
rock as a very high col~ ive wave which is then rofl~rted from every free face as
an equal and opposite tensile wave. These tensile waves cause the rock to literally
be torn apart.
S As a result of a successful exp~orim~nt testing regimen, it has been
det~rminPd that the cord 28 and a detonating knot disposed adjacent to the hole 18
are a collv~nience for tie-in by the miner. This configuration also ensures the
explosive starts to detonate at the point fuIthest from the coupled surface. The knot
is composed of approximately one foot of cord which is, in general 50 grain cord or
the equivalent of four #12 blasting caps. It is lJrefelled to apply four times the
...;..i..~.~... primer for detonation to over-drive and jump-start the explosive. As a
result of tests run on various high velocity primers and low velocity economicalexplosives such as ANFO or TNT slurries, it was det~rmin~d only a very high velocity
cap-sensitive emulsion or water-gel gave the necP~s~ry full velocity in the short
15 distance allowed, that is about 14cm (5.5 inches). The lower velocity explosives,
even with heavy boostering would only bend a 2.5cm (1 inch) thick steel plate while
the emulsion, thus primed, would drive a full di~m~t.qr hole right through the plate.
These tests deliberately avoided any gas jet (Munroe) effects and were used to
establish a velocity of detonation build-up within the cone length only.
Figure 5 depicts the blasting charge 10 coupled against a stuck rock 32
in an undel~lo-llld ore chute 34. A pole 36 is inserted into the tube 14. The pole is
then manipulated so that the open end of the cone 22 is adhesively forced against
the rock 32. This design permits miners to access unstable areas from relative safety.
Instead of simply h~nging freely in the air near a rock from a stick, the explosive 30
is affiTm~tively affixed to the rock to ma~imi7e the blast effect.
Besides causing ~ffi~iPnt rock fragm~nt~tion, the instant blasting charge
10 reduces the need for blockholing, the requirement of additional drills and the
need for directly working under unstable ground. The charge 10 may be assembled
off site, easily placed directly against the rock after the removal of the cover 20, and
utilized to safe and ~ffi~i~nt advantage.
20~3926
-7- PC-3186
While in accordd,lce with the provisions of the statute, there are
illustrated and described herein specific embodim~nt~ of the invention. Those skilled
in the art will Imtl~rst~n~l that changes may be made in the form of the invention
covered by the claims and the certain features of the invention may som~tim~ be
S used to advantage without a corresponding use of the other features.
